6/23/2025
Grewal, Dhruv, Carl-Philip Ahlbom, Lauren Beitelspacher, Stephanie M. Noble, and Jens Nordfält (2018), “In-Store Mobile Phone Use and Customer Shopping Behavior: Evidence from the Field,” Journal of Marketing, 82 (4), 102–126.
H1a. Mobile phone use increases total time spent in the store.
H1b. More time in store increases purchases.
H2a. Mobile phone use increases shelf attention.
H2b. Greater shelf attention increases purchases.
H3a. Mobile phone use increases loop diversion.
H3b. Greater loop diversion increases purchases.
H4. Time in store, shelf attention, and loop diversion jointly mediate the positive relationship between phone use and purchases.
| Role | Variable | Operationalization |
|---|---|---|
| IV | Mobile phone use | Binary (0 = none, 1 = used; duration captured) |
| Mediators | Total time in store | Minutes from entry to checkout |
| Shelf attention | Count of analytical fixations on products/price tags | |
| Loop diversion | Back‑tracks off natural customer loop (#) | |
| DV | Purchases | Basket value (SEK) and item count |
| Control | Satisfaction | 1‑7 overall visit rating |
Figure 1
Models Tested in Study 1
| Role | Variable | Operationalization |
|---|---|---|
| IV | Phone condition | Random assignment; compliance 97 % |
| Mediator 1 | Distraction | 4‑item scale (e.g., “I felt distracted…”) |
| Mediator 2‑4 | Time in store / Shelf attention / Loop diversion | Same coding as Study 1 |
| DV | Purchases | Basket value (SEK) + item count |
| Controls | Satisfaction (trip & service) | 1‑5 scales |
| Path | β / Diff | p / CI | Supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone → Distraction | +0.85 | <.001 | ✔︎ |
| Phone → Time | +4.45 min | .03 | ✔︎ (H1a) |
| Phone → Fixations | +25.84 | .001 | ✔︎ (H2a) |
| Phone → Diversion | +0.28 | .07† | marginal |
| Mediations (H4a–c) | Indirect CIs exclude 0 | see text | ✔︎ / † |
| Purchases diff | +129 SEK | .10 | marginal but positive |
Note: Age significantly moderates all three mediator paths; older shoppers show stronger effects.
| Hypothesis | Study 1 | Study 2 | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1a Time ↑ | ✔︎ +4.6 min (p<.001) | ✔︎ +4.45 min (p=.03) | Supported |
| H1b Time → Spend | ✔︎ β = 21.76 (p<.001) | ✔︎ β = 31.45 (p<.001) | Supported |
| H2a Fixations ↑ | ✔︎ +17 % (p=.02) | ✔︎ +25.84 (p=.001) | Supported |
| H2b Fixations → Spend | ✔︎ β = 3.97 (p<.001) | ✔︎ β = 7.13 (p<.001) | Supported |
| H3a Diversion ↑ | ✔︎ +0.97 (p<.001) | † +0.28 (p=.07) | Partial |
| H3b Diversion → Spend | ✔︎ β = 69.41 (p<.001) | ✔︎ β = 238.39 (p<.001) | Supported |
| H4 Mediations | All three paths sig. | Two sig., diversion marginal | Largely Supported |
(† = marginal, p < .10)
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